Experimental Research in Elementary Particle Physics

粒子物理学的重点是寻找宇宙最基本的组成部分以及将它们联系在一起的规则。位于瑞士日内瓦附近的欧洲核子研究中心大型强子对撞机（LHC）是世界上最强大的粒子加速器，能够在实验室环境中达到最高的粒子能量。大型强子对撞机的CMS探测器是世界上最强大、最复杂的相机之一，它可以观察质子的碰撞，并记录结果，供CMS实验人员进行详细的研究。罗格斯大学高能物理小组的成员对设备本身的构建、维护和持续改进至关重要。他们发起并指导了对收集到的数据的几项研究，包括导致2012年发现希格斯玻色子的研究。现在和未来几年收集的数据将使我们对自然的基本结构有更深入的了解，也许包括对基本力强度的巨大差异的见解，甚至是对新的基本粒子的一瞥。罗格斯大学高能物理小组将继续走在这些研究的前沿。罗格斯大学高能物理小组正在用欧洲核子研究中心的CMS实验进行几项物理搜索，研究质心能量为13 TeV的质子-质子相互作用。他们继续创新和实施新的数据分析技术，以寻找轻子、光子、喷流和缺失能量的新物理特征。他们还将高速模式识别、深度多元神经网络、自引导机器学习和图像识别等理念融入到对最深层次新物理学的探索中。该集团在CMS领域具有领导地位，包括领先的主要分析小组，以及在跟踪，量热和光度测量领域的探测器硬件和操作方面的领先努力。他们与理论学家密切合作，提出新的想法，从而产生了一个丰富的物理分析程序，这些程序起源于他们的努力。该奖项还允许罗格斯大学的研究小组继续部署他们为像素探测器设计的前端电子设备的改进版本，以及测试和安装前方强子量热计的前端电子设备。他们还致力于长期升级，特别是外部跟踪器和快速跟踪触发器，引入创新的想法，承诺将新物理的覆盖范围扩大到以前任何对撞机都无法探测的区域。他们正在为升级建立一个生产和测试设施。通过罗格斯夸克网项目，该小组为新泽西州各地的高中教师和学生举办夏季研讨会，分析大型强子对撞机的数据并建造宇宙射线望远镜。他们还指导来自罗格斯大学和NSF REU项目的本科生，以及合格的高中生。这些学生与小组密切合作，为正在进行的研究和物理分析做出贡献。为了解决女性在STEM领域代表性不足的问题，他们正在帮助开发项目，为大学和大学预科的女性提供研究机会。他们为高中物理教师开发了一套非常成功的ap级物理强化教学计划，提高了学生对物理的理解，并显著提高了ap -物理考试的满分。罗格斯大学的研究小组继续在当地的高中、图书馆和其他场所进行频繁的演讲，以传达粒子物理学的兴奋。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Particle physics is focused on the search for the most basic building blocks of the Universe and the rules that bind them. The CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC), located near Geneva, Switzerland is the world's most powerful particle accelerator, able to reach the highest particle energies in a laboratory setting. The CMS detector at the LHC is one of the world's most powerful and sophisticated cameras, observing the collisions of protons and recording the outcomes for detailed study by CMS experimentalists. The members of the high energy physics group at Rutgers University have been crucial to the construction, maintenance, and continued improvement of the device itself. They have initiated and guided several studies of the data collected, including ones that led to the discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012. The data being gathered now and in the coming years will allow a greater understanding of the basic structure of nature, perhaps including insights into the huge difference in the strengths of the fundamental forces, or even glimpses of new fundamental particles. The Rutgers high energy physics group will continue to be at the forefront of these investigations. The Rutgers high energy physics group is carrying out several physics searches with the CMS experiment at CERN, studying proton-proton interactions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. They continue to innovate and implement new data analysis techniques in searches for new physics signatures with leptons, photons, jets and missing energy. They are also incorporating ideas like high-speed pattern recognition, deep multivariate neural networks, self-guided machine learning, and image recognition into the search for new physics at the deepest levels. The group has a history of leadership in CMS, including leading major analysis groups and leading efforts on detector hardware and operations in the areas of tracking, calorimetry and luminosity measurement. They work closely with theorists to bring forth new ideas, leading to a rich program of physics analyses that has originated from their efforts. This award also allows the Rutgers group to continue deploying an improved version of front-end electronics they designed for the pixel detector, as well as testing and installation of the front-end electronics for the forward hadron calorimeter. They are also working on longer-term upgrades, specifically the Outer Tracker and a fast Track Trigger, introducing innovative ideas that promise to increase the reach for new physics to regions not previously capable of being probed by any collider. They are in the process of establishing a production and testing facility for the upgrades. Through the Rutgers QuarkNet program, the group runs summer workshops for high-school teachers and students from across New Jersey, analyzing LHC data and building cosmic-ray telescopes. They also mentor undergraduate students from Rutgers and the NSF REU program, as well as qualified high school students. These students work closely with the group and contribute to ongoing studies and physics analyses. To address the underrepresentation of women in STEM fields, they are helping develop programs to provide research opportunities to collegiate and pre-college women. They have developed a highly successful intensive instructional program for high school physics teachers in AP-level physics which has led to improved student understanding of physics, and a marked increase in perfect scores on the AP-physics exam. The Rutgers group continues to convey the excitement of particle physics with frequent talks at local high schools, libraries, and other venues.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.